My name’s Todd Chaplin, and I’m the owner and craftsman of Southern Cross Flutes.
For years I’ve been crafting flutes, fostering a flute local and national community, hosting flute workshops, and building a sustainable business around my passion for Native American Flutes. All of this left me with little time in my life to jam and improvise, which – ironically – was the sole reason I became so obsessed with the Native American Flute in the first place.
This knawing lack of play time resolved beautifully last month when Lochmara Lodge in the Marlborough Sounds hosted me for two weeks as their Artist in Residence.
Lochmara’s serene and lush natural beauty led me to record some wonderfully successful solo flute improvisations that, blended with the in situ soundscape of the forest, the birds, cicadas and the bees, the lapping waves, and the drizzling rain, allowed me to organically capture my quiet contemplative world of those two weeks.
At the end of my stay, I realised I had a very special solo flute album to share with the world.
That is the genesis of Lochmara’s Voice. And now, with your support, this can actually happen…
The Lochmara’s Voice Album Funding Campaign is seeking $2,000 for the mixing, mastering, and pressing of the CDs as well as to help pay for the graphic design and packaging costs. We are running a Pledgeme Campaign to raise these funds.
I’ve already secured Tim Smith – a professional sound engineer – for a quote on costs, and was blown away by his enthusiasm.
The Native American Flute is such a lovely sounding and versatile instrument, but it’s actually quite unusual to listen to an entire album of unaccompanied solo Native American Flute music, and rarer still for such an album to attain and sustain the level of quality and coherency that Lochmara’s Voice has achieved. I’m so thrilled with the recordings, how the tracks explore multiple cultures of music (e.g. Celtic or Arabic influences), and excited by the potential of this album to go places.
Help us get there!
Lochmara’s Voice needs some crowdfunding support to help launch itself into the world.
We’re aiming to release this album at the end of May, iconically just before the arrival of the mother of all projects – our first baby!!! As a teaser, when you do hear this album, you’ll be able to sense my flute playing reaching out to our little one, into the world beyond, painting a soundscape of the beauty and serenity that this world has to offer. For me, this album feels like a calling out to, and a welcoming home.
So come share in this beautiful project. There is no other album that captures the beauty and soul of the Native American Flute in the context of a small dusky sound in the Southern Pacific, yet this sound transcends little old Aotearoa New Zealand, and will resonate with people around the world.
- Pledge now your financial support and check out the great gift rewards we have on offer.
- Share the Lochmara’s Voice Album Funding campaign with your friends and family, or by posting this campaign onto your social networks.
- Listen to a demo track from Lochmara’s Voice.
- More aboutTodd Chaplin and Southern Cross Flutes.
A big humble thank you for your support.
TODD CHAPLIN
OWNER AND CRAFTSMAN OF SOUTHERN CROSS FLUTES
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